Tag: Manny Diaz

Report Card: Penn State defense gets ‘A’ in win over Indiana

Penn State defense shines in the postgame report card after Indiana win.

Following a full team victory the way Penn State had in Week 10 against Indiana, there are plenty of compliments to be handed out with few negative criticisms. It could have been incredibly easy for a team to fold on the road a week after a tough loss to Ohio State, but the Nittany Lions responded in a positive way by going on the road and letting talent prevail in a defensive mismatch.

Penn State’s defense was stellar and the offense took care of business against an undermanned Indiana team scuffling into November and down the final stretch of the regular season.

Here are the grades for Penn State, position by position, following its 45-14 victory at Indiana on Saturday.

Quarterback

Nov 5, 2022; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford (14) throws a pass during the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: B

[autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] turned in a solid enough of a day throwing the football to ensure Penn State would emerge victorious. With over 200 passing yards and an interception that was tipped by his receiver, it was more than adequate enough to feel good before coming out of the game as freshman [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] got some reps in the second half.

Allar made the most of his quarter and a half running the offense with a pair of touchdowns, some nicely-placed passes with zip, and showing off the ability to read what Indiana was trying to do defensively to make some adjustments at the line.

All in all, this was just what [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] would have wanted.

NEXT: Running Backs

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Five things to know about Indiana in Week 10

What should Penn State fans know going into the Week 10 matchup with Indiana?

The Penn State season is officially in a holding pattern. Whether [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and team like it or not they are about to hit a plateau in their season but it important that they don’t fall off it. The first test in this potential fall off is a deceptively tough game against Indiana.

Indiana has played a lot of team’s well and for Penn State to have am away game after the Ohio State let down could either be great or make things worst. Great would be bouncing back against a tough Indiana team, a worse fallout would seeing the wheels fall off this team after such a strong performance.

People forget they weren’t ranked before the year of course so to be here in this moment is already more than anyone could have asked for.

Report Card: Grading Penn State’s performance vs. Ohio State

The grades are in for Penn State after the loss to Ohio State, and it’s time to assess a few things.

In what seemed to be a very promising performance, the floor fell out on James Franklin and Penn State just as quick as it was built.

Penn State had this game and should’ve won this game when they had no business of it. Three turnovers and they were within one score before it fell apart in the second half of the fourth quarter. This won’t be a very happy report card but it will be an honest one.

Quarterback

Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: F

The gloves are off for this one, [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] is the reason Penn State didn’t win today. I am not saying that [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] would’ve done any better but Clifford and his turnovers made this game what it was.

Now, he has his record as the school’s passing touchdown leader and with that he needs to transition to the role of mentor. Let Drew Allar start getting some starts as the schedule starts to get easy so he is primed for next year. Starting Clifford serves zero purpose for the bigger picture of this team.

NEXT: Running backs

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Report Card: Penn State flunks mid-term exam at Michigan

The grades are in for Penn State’s mid-term exam at Michigan, and they are not pretty.

After a loss like the one Penn State took on Saturday, it is incredibly difficult to find much of a silver lining. Penn State was dominated up front and all over the field on Saturday by Michigan in a 41-17 setback, Penn State’s first of the season. And with two challenging games still in front of them, there was not a whole lot to feel good about afterward.

But it really is just one game for Penn State and the good news is they will return home next weekend against another team going through some things on their own. But this game does need one final evaluation to put everything to rest.

Quarterback

Oct 15, 2022; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford (14) rushes in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: D

Sean Clifford never really had much to work with thanks to a solid approach by the Michigan defense, which included pressure in the backfield for the majority of the game. Clifford didn’t have any turnovers, and he did have the longest play of the game by the Penn State offense, but he was rendered largely ineffective outside of a couple of nice plays that will easily be forgotten.

Drew Allar got some playing it me in the fourth quarter with the game all but official, but there was nothing to really take from it other than getting some experience on the road.

NEXT: Running Backs

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Five takeaways from Penn State’s stunning 41-12 win at Auburn

Penn State football: 5 takeaways from a blowout win at Auburn

Well, that one was a little easier than most may have believed. Penn State took it to Auburn on Saturday afternoon down south in Jordan-Hare Stadium and returned home with a convincing 41-12 victory over the Tigers. It was a big game from multiple players across the roster on offense and defense as this can best be described as a full team effort.

A win like this allows the imagination to run a little wild with visions of where this season goes from here. But a word of caution, of course, as there is still plenty of football to be played. But the Nittany Lions exhibited pure dominance in every facet of the game against Auburn and have plenty of reasons to be excited about what’s next for the team moving forward.

Here are five takeaways from Penn State’s big win on the road at Auburn.

Instant Reaction: Penn State dominates Auburn in 41-12 blowout

Instant reaction: Penn State puts on dominating display at Auburn, 41-12

It took a little bit of time to establish its dominance over Auburn, but Penn State took full control of the Tigers and the crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium in the second half. Penn State outscored the Tigers 24-7 after halftime en route to an eye-opening 41-12 victory on the road down south on Saturday.

Freshmen running backs [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] (124 yards, two touchdowns) and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] (52 yards, two touchdowns) led the charge on offense, but the defense was the big story of the game for the Nittany Lions. [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] dialed up a defensive gameplan that gave up some chunk plays in the first half but limited Auburn to two red zone drives resulting in just two field goals after the Tigers were knocking on the goal line.

Penn State’s defense also forced four turnovers with a pair of interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries in the game. [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Zakee Wheatley[/autotag] each came up with interceptions in the game to stall what could have been promising Auburn scoring drives.

[autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] was a standout performer as well as he showed relentless pursuit against Auburn quarterback TJ Finley, who did not finish the game as the Tigers quarterback. Linebackers [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] and [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag] each had some big moments as well as the defense was on fire in the second half. [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag] made some big pass breakups as well.

This was a full team victory all over the roster, and this could be a springboard to bigger things down the line for the Nittany Lions.

Next up for Penn State is one more non-conference matchup before jumping back into Big Ten play. Penn State will host Central Michigan next Saturday for a noon kickoff in Beaver Stadium.

Auburn will hope for a rebound next weekend with their SEC opener at home against Missouri.

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Best photos from Penn State’s blowout of Ohio

Check out these photos from Penn State’s Beaver Stadium opening win vs. Ohio

Penn State celebrated a comfortable victory in its 2022 home opener on a beautiful afternoon for college football in Beaver Stadium. Penn State topped Ohio, 46-10, with a solid glimpse into the future of the Nittany Lions behind big showings from freshman running back [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and freshman quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag].

Penn State extended its home winning streak in non-conference games to a Big Ten-leading 21 games with the win over the Bobcats.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s second victory of the season.

Five reasons Penn State will win against Ohio

Penn State should come away with a win vs. Ohio. Here are five reasons why.

Penn State lost to Ohio the last time they played back in 2012. The situation surrounding the team at that time was one of turmoil and heartache but fast forward ten years and the program is exactly where they want to be.

Coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] has a strong staff supporting him, recruiting is at an all-time high, and the team is a perfect blend of new faces and veterans to thrive in the Big Ten and beyond.

Tomorrow against Ohio though, Penn State will be heavy favorites for al the reasons we just listed. Breaking down five specific reasons is what we are here for of course! Every aspect of this team if it’s offense, defense, and special teams, Penn State has the advantage. Specifically though there are certain players who make the biggest difference and specific play styles that present the biggest problem for the Ohio Bobcats.

Penn State will look to improve red zone defense in Week 2 vs Ohio

Penn State struggled on defense in the red zone in Week 1. Will it improve in Week 2?

Penn State’s offense was on fire inside the red zone last week at Purdue. The Nittany Lions entered the red zone three times and left with a touchdown each time. Penn State was one of three Big Ten teams to have a 100% red zone touchdown percentage through Week 1; Ohio State and Maryland were each two-for-two with touchdown drives inside the red zone. It was only one game, so the sample size is as small as it will get, but that was an encouraging sign after Penn State struggled to finish drives last season. Penn State ranked 11th in the Big Ten in red zone touchdown percentage in 2021 with just 20 touchdowns on 42 red zone trips.

Conversely, Penn State’s red zone defense was the best the Big Ten had to offer. Penn State led the Big Ten in red zone defense last season by limiting opponents to 32 scores on 48 red zone trips. Just 18 of those red zone trips resulted in touchdowns, for a Big Ten-leading 37.5% opponent red zone touchdown percentage. That number was inflated by the end of the season that saw Michigan State score four touchdowns on five red zone trips in the regular season finale and Arkansas adding three more on six red zone trips in the Outback Bowl.

Last week against Purdue continued that trend of opponents thriving inside the red zone, however. Purdue had four trips to the red zone against Penn State in Week 1, and three of those drives ending in the end zone. Purdue added a field goal on the other trip, giving Purdue 24 red zone points on four trips. Clearly, this will be an area of focus for defensive coordinator [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag].

In his final season as head coach at Miami, Diaz oversaw the ACC’s worst red-zone defense with the Hurricanes allowing 37 scores on 39 red zone trips by opponents, with 23 resulting in touchdowns. But when Diaz was the defensive coordinator for Miami from 2016 through 2018, Miami had one of the best red zone defenses in the ACC.

In Diaz’s one season as defensive coordinator at Mississippi State in 2015, the Bulldogs ranked third in the SEC in red zone defense. But in three seasons at Texas as defensive coordinator, the Longhorns struggled on defense in the red zone regularly.

So what will Diaz do with Penn State’s defense? We may get a better sense o that in the next two weeks.

Credit should be given to Purdue’s offense, as it is one of the more difficult ones to slow down in the Big Ten. Purdue had the third-best red zone offense in the Big Ten in 2021, behind only Ohio State and Michigan. So let’s not jump the gun on this one-week sample size with the red zone defense just yet. But if Ohio has similar results, then there should be a bit of concern heading into the Week 3 road game at Auburn.

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Penn State secondary bracing for another pass-heavy opponent in Ohio Bobcats

Penn State faces another opponent with a pass-heavy offensive approach in Week 2.

Oh, you thought things would be easier for Penn State in Week 2? After going head-to-head with one of the Big Ten’s top passing offenses led by Aidan O’Connell, the Nittany Lions will once again be put to the test in the air by the Ohio Bobcats, who come to Happy Valley this Saturday for a Week 2 matchup in Penn State’s home opener in Beaver Stadium.

Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke passed for 345 yards and four touchdowns in Ohio’s Week 1 over FAU. He completed 27 of 34 pass attempts in the process and showed improved decision-making according to his head coach.

“I really like where he’s at,” Ohio head coach Tim Albin said following Ohio’s Week 1 win over FAU. “I got a little frustrated with him on a couple of things. But he had great answers and last year that was not the case. So, he took a big step.”

Rourke played in 10 games for Ohio last season and completed 169 passes for 1,801 yards and 11 touchdowns.  After one game, he is already on pace to surpass those numbers with ease.

For as much hype as Penn State’s pass defense had received coming into the start of the 2022 season, Purdue’s O’Connell made them work all night long on Thursday night. Penn State gave up 356 passing yards to end Week 1 with the Big Ten’s worst passing defense, statistically. Of course, it is just one game, but given this plays into Ohio’s strengths, it is a slight area of concern for defensive coordinator [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] to focus on in practice going into Week 2.

It is also worth recognizing that Penn State’s passing yards allowed were bound to be high given the nature of Purdue’s offensive identity. O’Connell attempted 58 passes against the Nittany Lions, but he only completed 29 of those passes. The 6.1 yards allowed per attempt was seventh-best in the Big Ten through Week 1. Once again, the beauty of overreacting to Week 1 stats. Trends will need a couple more games to be established this season.

But will Ohio be able to attack the same way Purdue did? Ohio has a go-to receiver in former Vanderbilt wide receiver James Bostic. Bostic should rack up a good receiving total after gaining 136 yards last week. Purdue got a similar outing from their main receiver last week when Charlie Jones hauled in 12 passes for 153 yards.

[autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] could be in for another active day against Ohio’s best wide receiver.

Penn State hosts Ohio on Saturday, September 10 at 12:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Penn State has opened as a big favorite.

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